9 一个拜访者(3)
After he had watched for an hour, Sam got up.
观察了一小时后，萨姆才站了起来。
He walked slowly and quietly away, putting one foot straight ahead of the other, Indian-fashion, hardly making a sound.
他又慢又轻地走开了，步子呈一条直线，就像印第安人那样，几乎没弄出一丝声响。
The swans watched him go.
天鹅们看着他离开。
When the female left the nest, she turned and looked back.
当雌天鹅离开窝后，便转过身一子往后看。
There, lying safely in the soft feathers at the bottom of the nest, was the fourth egg.
在那儿，安全地躺在窝底柔软的羽一毛一中间的，正是那第四个蛋。
The cob waddled out onto the island and looked in the nest.
雄天鹅摇摇摆摆地走上小岛，往窝里察看着。
"A masterpiece!" he said.
“一件杰作!”他说，
"An egg of supreme beauty and perfect proportions.
“一个外形绝美比例奇佳的蛋。
I would say that that egg is almost five inches in length."
我要说，那个蛋差不多有五英寸长。”
His wife was pleased.
他的妻子很高兴。
When the swan had laid five eggs, she felt satisfied.
下完了第五个蛋后，雌天鹅心里非常满意。
She gazed at them proudly.
她骄傲地望了望它们，
Then she settled herself on the nest to keep her eggs warm.
然后又坐回到窝里用体温使她的蛋保持温暖。
Carefully, she reached down with her bill and poked each egg until it was in just the right spot to receive the heat from her body.
她小心翼翼地用她的喙把每个蛋摆到合适的位置，以便它们能更好地吸取到她身一体里的热量。
The cob cruised around close by, to keep her company and protect her from enemies.
雄天鹅在附近巡视着，陪伴并保护着她，使她不受敌人的侵犯。
He knew that a fox prowled somewhere in the woods; he had heard him barking on nights when the hunting was good.
他知道森林中的某处有只觅食的狐狸;他在夜里听到过这只狐狸在捕猎成功时发出的叫一声。
Days passed, and still the swan sat quietly on the five eggs.
几个白天过去了，雌天鹅始终静静地蹲坐在那五个蛋上。
Nights passed. She sat and sat, giving her warmth to the eggs.
几个夜晚过去了。她在窝里坐了又坐，把她的温暖全都给了那些蛋。
No one disturbed her.
没有谁来打扰她。
The boy was gone--perhaps he would never come back.
那个男孩子走了--可能他再也不会回来了。
Inside of each egg, something was happening that she couldn't see: a little swan was taking shape.
在每个蛋里，有些她看不见的变化发生了：一只小天鹅正在渐渐成形。
As the weeks went by, the days grew longer, the nights grew shorter.
几周之后，白天更长了，夜晚变短了。
When a rainy day came, the swan just sat still and let it rain.
即使在下雨天，雌天鹅也冒雨坐在那里一动不动。
"My dear," said her husband, the cob, one afternoon,
“亲一爱一的，”她的雄天鹅丈夫一天下午说，
"do you never find your duties onerous or irksome?
“你从不觉得你的工作繁重或者令你心烦吗?
Do you never tire of sitting in one place and in one position, covering the eggs, with no diversions, no pleasures, no escapades, or capers?
老在同一个地方用同一种姿势坐着，光是盖着那些蛋，既没有消遣，没有快乐，也没有冒险，没有游戏，你就从不觉得厌倦?
Do you never suffer from boredom?"
这种乏味的事情从不令你难受?”
"No," replied his wife. "Not really."
“不，”她的妻子回答，“真的不。”
"Isn't it uncomfortable to sit on eggs?"
“坐在蛋上很不舒服吧?”
"Yes, it is," replied the wife.
“是的，”妻子回答，
"But I can put up with a certain amount of discomfort for the sake of bringing young swans into the world."
“不过为了把小天鹅们带到这个世界上，我可以忍受这些不舒服。”
"Do you know how many more days you must sit?" he asked.
“你知道你还要再坐多少天吗?”他问。
"Ha一ven't any idea," she said.
“还不太清楚，”她说，
"But I notice that the ducks at the other end of the pond ha一ve hatched their young ones;
“可我注意到池塘另一头的野鸭们已经孵出了小鸭子;
I notice that the Red-winged Blackbirds ha一ve hatched theirs,
我还发现红翼歌鸫也孵出了他们的小宝贝，
and the other evening I saw a Striped Skunk hunting along the shore, and she had four little skunks with her.
不久前的一个晚上我看到了一条在岸边捕食的缟臭鼬，她的身旁还跟着四只小臭鼬呢。
So I think I must be getting near the end of my time.
所以我想我的工作也快接近尾声了。
With any luck, we will soon be able to see our children--our beautiful little cygnets."
运气好的话，不久我们就能看见我们的孩子了--我们漂亮的小天鹅们。”
"Don't you ever feel the pangs of hunger or suffer the tortures of thirst?" asked the cob.
“你从不觉得饿得难受或渴得要命吗?”雄天鹅问。
"Yes, I do," said his mate.
“哦，我怎么不觉得，”他的伴侣说，
"As a matter of fact, I could use a drink right now."
“实际上，我现在就想喝点儿水。”